If you’ve been dealing with stubborn tendon pain—whether it’s in your Achilles, knee, or somewhere else—you’re not alone.
We see runners all the time who are frustrated because no matter how much they stretch, rest, or ice, the pain just keeps coming back.
Here’s the deal: Tendons don’t heal like muscles. And if you’re treating them the same way, you’re missing a huge piece of the puzzle.
Why Tendon Pain Keeps Coming Back
Muscles have great blood flow, which means they recover pretty quickly with rest and standard rehab methods. Tendons, on the other hand, are a different beast.
They don’t have the same blood supply, and they respond to stress (or lack of stress) in a much slower, more stubborn way.
This is why tendon injuries—Achilles tendinopathy, runner’s knee (patellar tendinitis), and hamstring tendinopathy—can linger for months or even years if you don’t rehab them the right way.
Many runners fall into one of these two traps:
❌ The “Rest It and Hope” Method – You take time off, thinking it’ll heal. The pain fades… until you start running again, and it comes right back. That’s because tendons don’t just need rest—they need to be strategically loaded to rebuild strength.
❌ The “Stretch and Ice Everything” Approach – Stretching a painful tendon can actually make things worse if it’s already irritated. And while ice might feel good in the moment, it’s not doing anything to fix the root problem.
How to Actually Fix Tendon Pain
So if rest and stretching don’t work, what does? Targeted strength training.
Tendons need controlled, progressive loading to heal and rebuild resilience. Here’s how it works:
1️⃣ Isometric Strength First – Holding a position (like a heel raise for Achilles issues or a wall sit for knee pain) helps calm pain and starts building tendon tolerance.
2️⃣ Slow, Heavy Strength Work – Eccentric and slow movements (like slow heel drops or weighted step-downs) actually help remodel the tendon and make it stronger.
3️⃣ Gradual Return to Impact – Once strength is solid, progressing back into plyometrics (think hops, jumps, and running drills) ensures the tendon can handle real-life forces.
This is exactly what I worked on with a runner recently.
He came in with months of Achilles pain that kept flaring up every time he increased his mileage. We cut out unnecessary stretching, dialed in the right strength plan, and within weeks, he was running pain-free—and stronger than before.
The Bottom Line: Tendons Need a Plan
If you’ve been stuck in the cycle of tendon pain and nothing seems to work, you’re probably missing the right kind of rehab.
✅ Rest alone won’t fix it
✅ Stretching might make it worse
✅ Tendons need strategic, progressive loading to heal for good
At 901 Physical Therapy, this is exactly what we help runners with—so they can stop dealing with recurring injuries and get back to doing what they love.
If you’re tired of guessing and want a real plan for your recovery, we’ve got you.
Ready to run strong again? Let’s get to work.
